Carton with telescoping cover and tray



J. D. DESMOND CARTON WITH TELESCOPING COVER AND TRAY June- 29, 1965 Filed Sept. 30, 1963 United States Patent (IARTGN WETH TELESCGPING CGVER AND Y This invention relates to paperboard cartons, and more particularly to a carton of the type having telescoping tray and cover portions.

The invention comprehends an improved arrangement for obtaining a snug friction fit between the tray and cover of the carton.

Normally the tightness of a cover on a telescoping tray of a carton is determined by the four corners of the tray. inaccuracies in gluing the corner flaps sometimes occur which change the normal tightness, so that in a carton having a cover and tray with straight corner edges it is difficult, if not impossible, to control the degree of tightness in fit between the tray and cover.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide, in a carton having telescoping tray and cover portions, a controlled degree of tightness in the fit between the tray and cover.

A more specific'object of the invention is the provision, in a carton of the type described, of a tray with end walls having serrated end edges presenting spaced projections adapted to collapse in a controlled way so as to bear against the inside of the cover to create a snug friction fit between the tray and cover.

These and other objects of the invention will be ap parent from an examination of the following description and drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is aperspective view of a carton tray and cover arrangement embodying features of the invention, with portions of the structure broken away;

FIGURE 2 is a transverse vertical section taken on line 22 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the blank from which the carton tray of the other views may be formed.

It will be understood that, for purposes of clarity, certain elements have been intentionally omitted from certain views where they are believed to be illustrated to better advantage in other views.

Referring now to the drawings for a better understanding of the invention, it will be seen that the carton arrangement illustrated in FIGURE 1 includes a tray indicated generally at T with a telescoping cover indicated generally at C.

The tray may be formed from a single blank of foldable paperboard, such as the blank indicated generally at B shown in FIGURE 3 of the drawing. The tray includes a preferably rectangular center or bottom wall panel having hingedly attached to the opposite side edges thereof a pair of side wall panels 12 and having hingedly attached to the end edges thereof a pair of end Wall outer panels 14 which in turn have hingedly attached to their outer edges a pair of end wall inner panels 16. Attached to the end edges of each of the side wall panels 12 are a pair of connecting flaps 18.

Although, in the drawing, the carton is shown as having separate tray and cover portions, the invention is also applicable to a one-piece carton having its cover and tray portions hingedly interconnected.

When the carton tray is in the erected condition, as shown in FIGURE 1, the tray side wall panels are folded into a vertical position with the connecting flaps l8 bent inwardly at right angles to the tray side walls and with the tray end wall outer panels bent upwardly and the tray end wall inner panels bent downwardly so as to form twoice ply end wall, with the connecting flaps 13 disposed within the end walls between the inner and outer panels. If desired they may be adhesively secured in position between the inner and outer panels of the end walls.

I It will be noted that the construction of the tray up to this point is conventional in nature. However, the novelty in this invention resides in the provision of the end edges 20 of the end wall outer panels 14. These end edges 26 are undulated or serrated so as to provide a plurality of vertically spaced ridges 22 separated by spaced grooves 24, the purpose of which will be described hereinafter.

Although the cover of the carton is not shown in detail, it may be conventional in shape and may include a hori zontal top wall 30 having opposed pairs of side and end walls 32 and 34 depending therefrom and interconnected to form a box-like enclosure open at the bottom and adapted to telescopically receive the tray.

As best seen in FIGURES l and 2, it will be seen that the projections or ridges 22 of the end edges 2% of end wall outer panels 14 are disposed to project outwardly beyond the outer surface of related tray side walls 12 so as to snugly engage the inside surface of the related cover side walls.

The purpose of providing this type of arrangement is to insure a snug fit between the tray and cover. Inasmuch as the tightness of the fit between a tray and telescoping cover is to a large extent determined by the four corners of the tray, inaccuracies in gluing render it ahnost impossible to insure a desired degree of snugness in production runs. If the dimensions of the tray are formed too small there will be a loose fit, and if the dimensions of the tray are formed too la'rgeit will be impossible to get the cover onto the tray. By providing the end edges of the tray end walls with the projections 22, these projections are small enough so as to be collapsed relatively uniformly by their contact with the inside of the cover to thereby insure the admission of the cover onto the tray and at the same time insure a relatively snug or tight fit between the cover and the tray.

It will be understood, of course, that this arrangement may be provided on the side walls or the end walls, or on both sets of walls if desired. Also, this same arrangement may be employed on the inner walls of carton constructions which require a friction fit in order to retain the inner Wall in position as it will produce a tighter feature than obtainable with a straight edge. Furthermore, in cases of cartons having both double side and double end walls matching serrations can be of benefit.

In a like manner the invention is equally suitable to trays having single-ply panel side walls. In this arrangement the single panel of the wall may be provided at its end edges with serrations in the same manner as outer panel 14 of the tray shown in FIGURE 3 of the drawings.

I claim:

1. A two-piece, telescoping carton arrangement, comprising:

(a) a cover including:

(i) a generally rectangular top wall, and

(ii) opposed pairs of side andend walls depend ing therefrom and connected to each other to form a box-like enclosure, open at the bottom, adapted to telescopically receive a tray of similar shape; and

(b) a tray including: 7

(i) a generally rectangular bottom wall; and

(ii) opposed pairs of side and end walls upstanding therefrom and interconnected to form a boxlike enclosure, open at the top, adapted to be telescopically received within said cover;

(c) the end walls of said tray each including an outer end wall panel hinged to and upstanding from an end edge of said bottom wall, and an inner end wall panel hinged to an upper edge of the related end wall outer panel and depending therefrom;

(d) said tray end Wall outer panels each having opposed end edges with serrated contours each presenting a plurality of vertically spaced projections extending laterally outward a slight distance beyond the related tray side wall and engaging an inner surface of the related cover side Wall to provide a snug friction fit between the tray and cover.

2. A telescoping carton arrangement, comprising:

(a) a cover including:

(i) a generally rectangular top wall, and

(ii) opposed pairs of side walls depending there from and connected to each other to form a box-like enclosure, open at the bottom, adapted to telescopically receive a tray of similar shape; and

(b) a tray including:

(i) a generally rectangular bottom wall; and

(ii) opposed pairs of side walls upstanding therefrom and interconnected to form a box-like enclosure, open at the top, adapted to be telescopically received within said cover;

(c) the walls of one of said pair of walls of said tray each including an outer panel hinged to and upstanding from an end edge of said bottom wall, and an inner panel hinged to an upper edge of the related outer panel and depending therefrom;

((1) said tray outer panels each having opposed end edges with serrated contours each presenting a plurality of vertically spaced projections extending laterally outward a slight distance beyond the adjacent tray side wall and engaging an inner surface of the related cover side wall to provide a snug friction fit between the tray and cover.

3. A telescoping carton arrangement, comprising:

(a) a cover including:

(i) a generally rectangular top wall, and

(ii) opposed pairs of side walls depending therefrom and connected to each other to form a box-like enclosure, open at the bottom, adapted to telescopically receive a tray of similar shape; and

(b) a tray including:

(i) a generally rectangular bottom wall; and

(ii) opposed pairs of side walls upstanding therefrom and interconnected to form a box-like enclosure, open at the top, adapted to be telescopically received within said cover;

(c) at least one of the walls of said tray each including an outer panel hinged to and upstanding from an end edge of said bottom wall, and an inner panel hinged to an upper edge of the related outer panel and depending therefrom;

(d) said tray outer panel having at least one end edge with a serrated contour presenting a plurality of vertically spaced projections extending laterally outward a slight distance beyond the adjacent tray side wall and engaging an inner surface of the related cover side wall to provide a snug friction fit between the tray and cover.

4. A telescoping carton arrangement, comprising:

(a) a cover including:

(i) a generally rectangular top wall, and

(ii) opposed pairs of side Walls depending therefrom and connected to each other to form a box-like enclosure, open at the bottom, adapted to telescopically receive a tray of similar shape; and

(b) a tray including:

(i) a generally rectangular bottom wall; and

(ii) opposed pairs of side walls upstanding therefrom and interconnected to form a box-like enclosure, open at the top, adapted to be telescopically received Within said cover;

(c) at least one wall of said tray having at least one end edge with a serrated contour presenting a plurality of vertically spaced projections extending laterally outward a slight distance beyond the related tray side wall and engaging an inner surface of the related cover side wall to provide a snug friction fit between the .tray and cover.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,914,236 11/59 Shapiro 229-34 FOREIGN PATENTS 73,197 9/60 France.

FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Primary Examiner. 

1. A TWO-PIECE, TELESCOPING CARTON ARRANGEMENT, COMPRISING: (A) A COVER INCLUDING: (I) A GENERALLY RECTANGULAR TOP WALL, AND (II) OPPOSED PAIRS OF SIDE AND END WALLS DEPENDING THEREFROM AND CONNECTED TO EACH OTHER TO FORM A BOX-LIKE ENCLOSURE, OPEN AT THE BOTTOM, ADAPTED TO TELESCOPICALLY RECEIVE A TRAY OF SIMILAR SHAPE; AND (B) A TRAY INCLUDING: (I) A GENERALLY RECTANGULAR BOTTOM WALL; AND (II) OPPOSSED PAIRS OF SIDE AND END WALLS UPSTANDING THEREFROM AND INTERCONNECTED TO FORM A BOXLIKE ENCLOSURE, OPEN AT THE TOP, ADAPTED TO BE TELESCOPICALLY RECEIVED WITHIN SADI COVER; (C) THE END WALLS OF SAID TRAY EACH INCLUDING AN OUTER END WALL PANEL HINGED TO AND UPSTANDING FROM AN END EDGE OF SAID BOTTOM WALL, AND AN INNER END WALL PANEL HINGED TO AN UPPER EDGE OF THE RELATED END WALL OUTER PANEL AND DEPENDING THEREFROM; (D) SAID TRAY END WALL OUTER PANELS EACH HAVING OPPOSE END EDGES WITH SERRATED CONTOURS EACH PRESENTING A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY SAPCED PROJECTIONS EXTENDING LATERALLY OUTWARD A SLIGHT DISTANCE BEYOND THE RELATED TRAY SIDE WALL AND ENGAGING AN INNER SURFACE OF THE RELATED COVER SIDE WALL TO PROVIDE A SNUG FRICTION FIT BETWEEN THE TRAY AND COVER. 